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Auto Accidents
Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Truck-Car Accidents & Injuries: New Computers & Black Boxes Must Be Analyzed As More Data Available From Truck Computers
- Top Five Causes of Truck Accidents
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
- Forbes Names Virginia Best for Business, But What About Virginia's Personal Injury System?
- One of our own attorneys is featured in Virginia Lawyers Weekly again.
- Nanotubes Connected to Lung Cancers-New Article Posted
General
Practice Areas
- Auto Accidents
- Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Wrongful Death Claims
- Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
Firm News
- Three Die in Multi-Vehicle 1-95 Truck Accident
- Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Joe Biden Has Tragic History With Truck Accidents
- West Virginia Urologist Fights Two Medical Malpractice Claims
- Truck-Car Accidents/Injuries: New Computers & Black Boxes Allow Far More Data Analysis
- Train and Tanker Truck Collide on NC Highway 49 in Charlotte
- Surgeon sues his own Spinal Surgeon for Medical Malpractice, Alleges Back Surgery Medical Negligence
- Single-Vehicle Tanker Trailer Crash Kills One
- Teen Driver Killed by Garbage Truck
- I-81 Tractor Trailer Accident
- Two Williamsburg, Va., Teens Killed in Crash
Library
Auto Accidents
- High traffic and bad driving cause headaches and accidents
- Road Fatalities Fall as Gas Rises
- Hazardous Road Conditions in Chesapeake, Virginia (VA) Seriously Injuring Motorists
Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- FELA ENFORCEMENT LEADS TO SAFER WORKPLACE
- Train Accident in Massachusetts Caused by Speed and Possibly Cell Phone
- The Higher Duty Owed by Railroads
Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Head injury: forgotten trauma
- Spinal cord injuries are frightening.
- Hurrican Katrina: Seventeen Months and Counting
Wrongful Death Claims
- Having A Good Support Staff Is Key To Being A Strong Personal Injury And F.E.L.A. Law Firm
- Confidentiality Agreements Keep Information About Personal Injury Settlements From The Public
- Videotaping Lay Witnesses Can Be A Powerful Settlement Tool In Personal Injury And Death Cases
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- BREAST IMPLANT CASE WINS SUPREME COURT APPEAL
- Five Tips for Choosing a Cardiologist
- Stroke Symptoms & Diagnosis
Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- FMCSA Hours of Service Regulations
- Six Things You Must Remember if You're in a Truck Accident
- Top 10 Causes of 18-Wheeler Accidents
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
- INSURANCE COMPANIES CONTINUE TO OVERCHARGE CUSTOMERS AND UNDERPAY CLAIMS
- North Carolina's Court System
- Boating accidents and injuries in Hampton Roads, Virginia (VA)
Co-Counsel
Firm Newsletters
General
Do I Need a Seat Belt in a Truck Bed?
Maybe one of the most dangerous things you can do in a truck is ride in the bed. This practice, widely accepted in rural areas, has claimed many lives, including a Kentucky man, a Pennsylvania man, and six southwestern Virginia teens. The National MCH Center for Child Death Review recently listed riding in a truck bed as one of the leading concerns for children under the age of 16.
Riding in the truck bed is dangerous for a variety of reasons. First, there are no seat belts in the back of a truck. Anyone involved in a collision in the back of a truck will invariably be thrown from the truck. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, this sort of accident accounts for more than 200 deaths a year, nationwide.
Still, only 34 states have laws that prohibit riding in the back of a truck.
Virginia law prohibits passengers under the age of 16 from riding in truck beds. It does not prohibit adults from riding back there.
In Maryland, anyone over the age of 16 may ride in the back of the truck. If you are 15, you may ride in the back as long as the truck is traveling 25 mph or lower. However, Maryland makes an exception for pickup trucks that have covered cargo areas – the reasoning being that the covered cargo area will contain the person in the event of an accident.
West Virginia, on the other hand, has absolutely no law governing who may ride in the back of the truck. In the absence of a law, it is perfectly permissible to ride in the truck bed.
In South Carolina, only people under the age of 15 are prohibited from riding in a pickup truck. However, South Carolina makes several exceptions. For example, the child may ride back there (1) with an adult, (2) in emergency situations, (3) while hunting or in some agricultural enterprise.
In North Carolina, only children under the age of 12 are prohibited from riding in a truck bed.
As you can see, truck bed laws vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. As a general rule, the laws become more and more lax as the state becomes more and more rural. This is because of the necessities of farm life that sometimes require children to ride in the back of a pickup truck.
In any case, if you can avoid riding in the back or having a child back there, you should do so. This practice costs the nation about 200 lives per year. Any steps we can take toward prevention should be taken.
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Quick Contact
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton, P.C.
1294 Diamond Springs Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Toll Free: (800) 752.0042
Phone: (757) 460-7776
Fax: (757) 460.3428
Case Results
Auto Accidents
- Pedestrians Stuck by Automobile Recover $540,000.00
- Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome brings verdict of $170,000.00
- Crosswalk Accident With Broken Leg Settles For $227,000.00
- Soft Tissue Injuries Caused by Auto Accident
- Serious Auto Accident Causes Death of Infant
Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Railroad-Roadway Crossing Accident - Car Passengers Injured
- FELA
- AMTRAK ENGINEER SETTLES WITH AMTRAK AND CSX OVER DERAILMENT
- Locomotive Engine Fire causes Rail Engineer right arm and wrist surgery
- Shoulder Injury requiring surgery for Locomotive Engineer
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- Gallbladder Surgery Error
- Medical Negligence
- Pharmacy-Prescription Error
- Gastric Bypass (stomach stapling) Surgery complications
- Retained Surgical Sponge and Subsequent Complications
Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Collision Between Two Big Rigs Creates Fireball
- Automobile Accident Causing Coma and Paralysis
- Virginia Automobile Accident
- MACK truck wreck causes leg fractures
- Automobile wreck with drunk driver causes connective tissue injury
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
- Department Store Shelf Falls on Customer
- Pilot Suffers Electrical Shock Injury At Hotel Ending Commercial Pilot’s Career--Settlement Soon Before Federal Court Jury Trial
Other
- Hotel Guest-Glass Coffee Carafe Shatters-Hand Injury
- Faulty Product - Fiberglass Stepladder Failure
- Skiing Accident
FAQs
Auto Accidents
- What should I do if I am involved in a car accident?
- I was in a car crash. How quickly do I have to find an attorney and file a lawsuit?
- What is the minimum car insurance I'm allowed to carry in my state?
- What is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and why should I think about having it?
- Does my state have a primary enforcement law for seat belts?
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
General
- Do I really need a lawyer?
- Can I afford to get into a lawsuit?
- How long will the whole process take?
- What if I do not want to go to court because I am getting nervous about testifying?
- How much am I likely to recover when in court?